Simple Instructions On Creating A Cover Page For A Research Paper

The MLA (Modern Language Association) format doesn’t require a cover page for a research paper, but some instructors do require one, and other writing formats also require a cover page.

Specific requirements and instructions for what your cover page must include may be given to you by your teacher. If this is the case, you must follow those instructions exactly. If no instructions are given however, then it is up to you to follow the guidelines set out by MLA, APA, Chicago style, or whatever writing format you are required to follow.

The following steps will help you create a cover page in the MLA format. They are designed to be quick and easy to follow and will help you succeed in getting this relative simply task accomplished.

MLA style Cover Page

The page should be double spaced and the type is centered on the page.

The first line should be the name of your university or college

Move one-third down the page and type in the title of your research paper. If you have a subtitle, it goes directly underneath the title.

Skipping several lines down from the title, type your name, the course name and number if applicable, your instructor’s name and the due date of the paper. Each of these items are on their own line, one right underneath the other.

Other notes of interest that you may need to incorporate include:

When using a cover page, you are allowed to omit the main heading on your first page. First page still includes your last name and page number, as do all subsequent pages.

The cover page is located at the very front of your research paper, providing the front cover of the paper.

In other writing formats, such as APA style, the cover page may also be referred to as the title page.

APA style Title Page

The title page should be formatted as follows:

Title should be centered halfway down the page

At the bottom of the page are the personal details, also center aligned. They include your name, your school, and date of submission, your supervisor’s name

The running head should be less than 50 characters and needs to be left justified. This is used at the top of each page of the report. It’s usually a shortened version of the title

The page number should be 5-7 spaces to the right of the running head, and appears on each page of your document. It must be right aligned.